Naivedyam

I really love and enjoy all the Maharashtrian festivals and traditions. One big part of any festival is the food. The people of Maharashtra regard their food as ‘Anna he poornabrahma’ which means ‘anna’, or food is equal to ‘Brahma’, or the creator of the universe. In other words it means food is God, thus it should be worshiped. And not only Maharashtrians but all the Indians believe in offering their food first to the lord as a thanksgiving ritual for all that he has given.This article is focused not on the recipes of the food but the placement of the food.

‘Naïvedya che paan’ means the special plate of food for God.For every festival or puja, before the formal meal begins, first the Gods are offered the food and then it is given to others. The placements of each item in the plate are very much important. We were taught this in our childhood and ‘waadhne’, serving food, was one the chores that by default came to us.

Traditionally in formal meals, the food was served on a banana leaf. There were many reasons for that. One of the reason was that banana plants were abundant and so its leaves. So to serve a big crowd instead of the usual plate, leaf was more convenient. Also the other reason was hygiene. Nobody has to eat in a used plate!!!! And then again the ‘Go green’ is not really a new idea for Indians, right?

However, nowadays the regular plates are used. I have tried to show (with whatever little skills I have)a pictorial view of the placements of food items. Also soon I will try and put up links so that you can see recipes under each item.